IMPD cracks down on prostitution with 30 arrests

Vice detectives made 30 prostitution-related arrests from Thursday through Sunday, according to police reports.

Nine of the arrests occurred on the Eastside along Washington Street. Five occurred in the Southport area, where undercover officers set up stings at hotels. Four occurred on the Westside in the 1200 block of North Tibbs Avenue.

“One of the biggest complaints we hear from our citizens is the effect prostitution has on their neighborhoods,” Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Chris Bailey said. “Addressing this quality of life issue in Indianapolis will continue to be a priority for our Vice Branch and narcotics units.”

Twenty-one of the arrested suspects were men allegedly patronizing prostitutes — or, more precisely, undercover detectives posing as prostitutes.

Six women were arrested for allegedly working as prostitutes, and one man was arrested for allegedly working as a prostitute. One person was arrested on a preliminary charge of public indecency.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, officers arresting a man on a preliminary charge of patronizing a prostitute also found 23.46 grams of marijuana in the suspect’s car, police said. That suspect — Randy McAfee, 29, Indianapolis — tried to run from police while being escorted in handcuffs to a patrol car, police said.

An officer chased McAfee and used a stun gun to gain control of him, police said.

When questioned by police, McAfee said he did not smoke marijuana but worked as a dealer, according to an IMPD report.

McAfee was taken to a Eskenazi Hospital to be checked out because he was bleeding from his hand and told officers he had a heart condition, police said. McAfee faces preliminary charges of patronizing a prostitute, possessing marijuana, dealing marijuana and resisting law enforcement.

Some of the prostitution arrests stemmed from traditional street surveillance, according to police reports, while others involved undercover detectives meeting suspects at area motels after IMPD placed online ads offering sex acts for pay.